Summer’s the time when fans look forward to their favorite TV shows arriving on DVD. Seven CW series have disc releases over the next ten weeks, so we’ve compiled a convenient list of dates and extras included in the box-sets. All are available for pre-order at amazon.com.

• 90210: Season 1 release on Aug. 11. Includes cast commentaries on select episodes, plus behind-the-scenes featurettes about the show’s music, fashion, sets and more.
• Gossip Girl: Season 2 release on Aug. 18. Includes nearly four hours of special features, such as unaired scenes, a gag reel, the ‘Chasing Dorota’ webisodes, and a downloadable audio-book of Gossip Girl: You Know You Love Me, read by Christina Ricci.
• Everybody Hates Chris: Season 4 release on Aug. 18. The comedy’s final season set will include commentary by creator Chris Rock, deleted scenes, featurettes and bloopers.
• Smallville: Season 8 release on Aug. 25. Available on DVD and Blu-ray. Bonus material includes cast and creator commentaries, unaired scenes, and two featurettes, Doomsday: The Making of a Monster, and Director’s Chair: Calling the Shots with Allison Mack.
• One Tree Hill: Season 6 release on Aug. 25. In addition to the unaired scenes and gag reel, the set includes commentary on two episodes by series creator Mark Schwahn and key cast members; and featurettes on recreating the 1940s (for episode 11); playing the new sport of SlamBall; shadowing first-time directors Chad Michael Murray, Bethany Joy Galeotti and James Lafferty; and guest singers discussing the role of music in the series, with a spotlight on the USO concert (episode 10).
• Supernatural: Season 4 release on Sep. 1. Available on DVD and Blu-ray. Anticipation is always great for this series’ gag reel—those guys just have fun at work, period. It will be accompanied by extended/unaired scenes, commentary on three key episodes by exec producers and writers, and a featurette on The Mythologies of Supernatural.
• The Game: Season 1 release on Sept. 1. This popular dramedy just completed its third and final campaign, and the show finally comes to DVD with all 21 episodes of its freshman year, plus the sixth-season episode of Girlfriends which served as a back-door pilot for The Game spinoff.
• Reaper: Both seasons are currently available on DVD.

The Game premiered three years ago as a distant relative of long-running Girlfriends, blending comedy and drama against the backdrop of pro football.  This week’s season finale could be the series’ endgame, reports the L.A. Times, unless The CW is sold on morphing into a one-hour dramedy next year.  “The Game is a modest treasure: a sitcom that doesn’t patronize, is equally concerned with men and women, and doesn’t lean on traditional structures of family or friendship,” the Times praises.  “It’s current and clever, aggressively fashionable, and getting more mature each year without sacrificing its airy allure.  What’s more, it’s the only portrayal on network television of the black overclass and one of the few places on primetime to even consider black-white relations as relevant subject matter.”  The Game’s current 64 episodes have already been sold into syndication, but renewal remains a possibility—even as a midseason option.  Meanwhile, will Friday’s finale leave storylines dangling, or will longtime fans finally see Melanie (Tia Mowry) and Derwin (Pooch Hall) tie the knot?  Might Kelly (Brittany Daniel) and Jason (Coby Bell) reconcile?  And what’ll become of sassy lovelorn Tasha, played so brilliantly by Wendy Raquel Robinson?  Watch for some unexpected play-calling en route to one final score.

It was a busy—and exciting—weekend at The CW, with several breaking news stories. Here’s a quick recap:

• Laura Leighton will reprise her role as devious schemer “Sydney” on the new Melrose Place. In fact, she’s now the landlord—so Sydney can mess with the heads of all the young tenants. Fans of the original MP assumed Sydney was killed in a car accident, but c’mon…it’s a soap opera; amazing recoveries are the norm. Laura (photo, left) is married to former costar Doug Savant, who now plays “Tom Scavo” on Desperate Housewives.
• In another link to the first Melrose Place, Shaun Sipos has been cast as the sexy, spoiled bad boy son of “Jake Hansen.” WBNX viewers might remember Shaun (photo, right) from Maybe It’s Me; others know him from The Savages.
• With The CW’s half-hour Friday comedies expected to exit at the end of this year, says The Hollywood Reporter, producers of The Game will repitch the series to the network this week as a one-hour dramedy. Does this mean the May 8 episode of Everybody Hates Chris is the series finale?
• Reaper co-creators Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters just signed a two-year, seven-figure deal with another studio, and the terms include their departure from The CW series. Could Reaper return with a new creative team?

Stargate: Atlantis ended its five-year run in January after 100 episodes, with the sci-fi favorite now continuing in syndication Saturday nights on WBNX. One of the series’ most popular stars, Jason Momoa (Ronon Dex), will switch genres to appear in four episodes of The Game, beginning this Friday. His character becomes involved with Kelly, played by Brittany Daniels—who Jason crossed paths with on Aaron Spelling’s North Shore several years ago. Viewers are accustomed to seeing Jason with his dreadlocks, but they’re long gone for this comedic role. Another special guest will also be featured Friday: Tia Mowry’s real-life husband, Cory Hardrict. There are six new episodes of The Game still to come this season, and the show’s fate for next fall has not been determined. Are you hooked on the pro football players and the women who love them?

“Oh, this is gonna end very badly.” How many times have you caught yourself saying that while watching a TV show?  Honestly, why do characters sometimes make decisions that we know will come back to bite them?  Here are a few recent head-scratching moments:

90210: Principal Harry—an educated man—accepts a kid on the doorstep, Sean, as his biological son without any proof, and is anxious to fork over $200,000 to cover gambling debts.  Brenda first errs in hooking-up with Ryan, then compounds the lunacy by telling Kelly!  Why?

Privileged: Megan digs deep into her boss’s past and discovers Laurel’s love affair and illegitimate daughter.  Instead of keeping the secret to herself, Megan dredges up the dirt to an angry Laurel.  Mystifying.

One Tree Hill: Where to begin?  Last season, Carrie kidnapped Jamie—but Dan simply threatened and released her to continue terrorizing the family.  Beaten and robbed, Brooke tells her friends she fell down the stairs.  Later, she rushes into the assailant’s house without even summoning police.  Sigh.

Gossip Girl: Vanessa intercepts Nate’s love note to Jenny, destroying their romance, and then confesses to the vengeful little blonde.  Never watched Mean Girls?

Supernatural: Learning that all-powerful foe Lilith is nearby, Dean impulsively wants to race off to kill her… without an inkling of a plan.  Dude really has a deathwish.

The Game: Kelly blurts out to pro QB Jason that yes, she did marry him for the money—at first.  No hubby wants to hear that, especially with a marriage on the rocks.

Everyone makes a poor choice now and then, and TV characters have been jolting us with their gaffes since the early days of Lucy Ricardo and Ralph Kramden.  But if we could wish one thing for our fictional friends this year, it would be to use just a bit more common sense.  Got a favorite TV faux pas memory?

WBNX stars and series will have a major presence at next month’s 40th annual NAACP Image Awards ceremony.  The nominations just announced include 14 alone for comedies Everybody Hates Chris, The Game and Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, and more than 20 overall.  Here’s a breakdown of our honorees, in a nutshell:

Tyler Perry’s House of Payne: Outstanding Comedy; Lead Actor (LaVan Davis); Lead Actress (Cassi Davis); Supporting Actor (Lance Gross, Larramie ‘Doc’ Shaw).

Everybody Hates Chris: Outstanding Comedy; Lead Actor (Tyler James Williams, Terry Crews), Lead Actress (Tichina Arnold)

The Game: Outstanding Comedy; Lead Actress (Tia Mowry); Supporting Actress (Wendy Raquel Robinson); Outstanding Writing.

Other nominations:
Tracee Ellis Ross, Girlfriends (Lead Actress, TV comedy)
Tyra Banks (Outstanding Talk Series)
Jamie Foxx (Outstanding Male Recording Artist)
Will Smith, Seven Pounds (Outstanding Film Actor)
Queen Latifah, The Secret Life of Bees (Outstanding Film Actress)
Alfre Woodard, Tyler Perry’s The Family That Preys (Outstanding Film Actress)
Tyler Perry’s movie, The Family That Preys, will also compete for Outstanding Motion Picture. 

The CW today announced a complete revision of its Sunday night lineup, and the fresh imports should excite Clevelanders, in particular.  Beginning Nov. 30, “favorite son” Drew Carey and Jericho will help to fill holes vacated by 4 Real, In Harm’s Way, Valentine and Easy Money.  And for those who miss the days of blockbuster films on Sunday night, the network will also program a series of “contemporary theatrical titles from MGM” in the 8pm slot.  Set in various Northeast Ohio suburbs, Carey’s comedy series reinforced the message “Cleveland Rocks!” to a national audience for nine years; while Jericho became possibly the first series resurrected by fandom outcry.  The acclaimed drama followed Skeet Ulrich’s small Kansas community in the aftermath of a nuclear attack that wiped out much of the country.  When the show was not renewed for a second season, vocal viewers rose up—and CBS officials later acknowledged “the campaign was the largest the network had seen” to protest a cancellation.  Seven midseason episodes were then commissioned to provide closure to the epic saga.  Here’s how the exciting new Sunday night block will look, starting next week:

Judging by the preview scoop the network has provided, we’ve got four weeks of extreme primetime fun coming up on The CW.  Here’s just a sample of the highlights:

Gossip Girl:  Little rebel Jenny plans a guerilla fashion show; Eleanor gets a new boyfriend—who Blair, naturally, despises; a prominent cast member dies; and guests include Willa Holland (The O.C.), John Patrick Amedori, Wallace Shawn and Cyndi Lauper. 

One Tree Hill:  Peyton assembles a USO concert; and the film-noir style episode written by Chad Michael Murray airs. 

90210:  Harry’s 22-year-old biological son shows up on his doorstep; and Jennie Garth returns.

Privileged:  Megan uncovers a shocking secret about Laurel’s past—and begins dating someone “new.”  Guests include celeb blogger Perez Hilton, Kathy Najimy (Sister Act) and Sarah Drew (Everwood). 

America’s Next Top Model:  The cycle 11 winner is announced on Nov. 19. 

Smallville:  Supergirl (Laura Vandervoort) and Lana Lang return; Davis tells Chloe she’s marrying the wrong man; Brainiac replaces Chloe’s memory with Kryptonian code—but can the Fortress of Solitude unscramble it before her wedding day?

Supernatural:  Castiel calls in a warrior angel, Uriel (Robert Wisdom); and Dean tells Sam what happened to him in hell. 

The Game:  Tasha goes toe-to-toe with Penny Marshall (Rick’s pushy mother); and first-year resident Melanie meets her own Dr. McHottie (supermodel Jason Olive).  Other guests include Tisha Campell-Martin and Duane Martin.

Wendy Raquel Robinson plays a character that’s so strong and outspoken, she fears the reaction from her costars.  Now in its third season, The Game last year quietly became The CW’s top-rated comedy, and Wendy’s performance as sports agent ‘Tasha’ always stands out.  “She says a lot of things that I wish I had the gumption to say,” the actress tells Starry Constellation magazine.  “(Tasha) is one of those characters that is not only spontaneous, but there is an unpredictability to her.  I can’t believe that sometimes she’ll be as politically incorrect—and she makes no apologies about it.  A lot of times I find myself apologizing to the other actors.  I’ll say, ‘It’s not me!  It’s Tasha!’”  After playing comic foil to Cleveland’s own Steve Harvey for six years, Wendy quickly recognized the potential of this Girlfriends spinoff (Tia Mowry’s Melanie was a cousin of Joan).  “When we shot the pilot, we all knew it was something very, very special.  Discovering and creating these characters from scratch was really important.”  And the chemistry her castmates share is no accident.  “We hang with each other outside of work, and it really transfers on-screen,” Wendy says.  “We’re all great friends and we leave our egos at the door.”

Finally—Comedy Premiere Night is here! Everybody Hates Chris returns for its fourth season on a new night, with young Chris Rock (Tyler James Williams) “movin’ on up” to high school.  Problem is, he’s assigned to the building’s only segregated homeroom.  Hee!  What genius could be behind that shrewd move?  Chris’s naively politically-incorrect former teacher, Miss Morello, of course; she’s now the HS principal!  What a great way to keep the hilarious Jaqueline Mazarella in the cast beyond junior high.  The Game follows with a series of startling revelations.  Suffice to say, the football wives and playas have shaken things up!  As seen above, Esther Rolle (“Florida Evans”) was a true pioneer of today’s urban comedies.  Coming up on Dec. 11, The Wayans Bros. re-enact Good Times in a dream-sequence parody that’s not to be missed.